Effects of albendazole treatment on sperm parameters of ram experimentally infected with cystic echinococcosis

Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus, primarily affecting the liver and lungs of livestock but also capable of inducing systemic alterations through oxidative stress and metabolic imbalance. These systemic effects may impair reproductive physiology in male animals. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CE infection and subsequent albendazole (ABZ) treatment on sperm quality parameters in rams. Fourteen male lambs were experimentally infected with E. granulosus eggs, and after the establishment of infection, six were treated orally with ABZ (7.5 mg/kg) every 30 days for three months, while others served as untreated controls. Semen samples were evaluated using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) for motility and kinematic parameters, as well as for sperm concentration, viability, and abnormality rates. CE infection alone led to decreased motility, sperm concentration, and alterations in kinematic parameters such as linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH), reflecting impaired sperm trajectory and coordination. ABZ-treated animals exhibited a more pronounced decline in total and progressive motility and in kinematic parameters (straight-line velocity-VSL-, average path velocity-VAP-), suggesting potential microtubule- or mitochondria-associated functional alterations. No significant changes were detected in sperm viability. These findings indicate that both CE and ABZ may adversely influence sperm function, possibly through oxidative and cytoskeletal mechanisms. However, the absence of an uninfected ABZ -only control group limits the ability to distinguish independent drug-related effects from infection-associated alterations.